Părțile au discutat despre stadiul de cooperare dintre Ministerul Apărării și CICR, precum și despre intensificarea acesteia, prin lansarea unor noi proiecte și programe de interes comun în țara noastră.

Ministrul Nosatîi și-a exprimat recunoștința pentru interesul CICR în consolidarea parteneriatului cu Armata Naţională, precum și pentru pregătirea contingentelor Armatei Naționale detașate în misiunile de menținere a păcii KFOR și UNIFIL în domeniul Dreptului internațional umanitar.

Potrivit ministrului Anatolie Nosatîi, CICR ocupă un rol important în contextul actual de securitate, iar expertiza oferită de reprezentanții organizației internaționale Armatei Naționale este valoroasă.

La rândul său, Doris El Doueihy a apreciat colaborarea bună cu instituția de apărare și a vorbit despre realizările din anul curent, dar și despre proiectele pe care organizația intenționează să le lanseze în Republica Moldova în anul 2024.

Agenda discuțiilor cuprinde subiecte cu privire la cooperarea bilaterală în domeniul apărării, perspectivele de dezvoltare a parteneriatului moldo-francez, precum și alte subiecte de interes comun.

During the discussions, the officials addressed topics such as bilateral cooperation in the military segment, the objective of modernizing the National Army and the important role of the programs granted by the United States of America and the National Guard of North Carolina in the development of the defense institution of the Republic of Moldova. In accordance with international standards.

Likewise, the parties addressed the aspect of joint training within the multinational exercises, which aim to increase the training and interoperability of the Moldovan military with colleagues from other armies in various joint activities.

In this context, the Minister of Defense Nosatîi appreciated the exchange of experience between the soldiers participating in the “Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023”, which was completed today in our country, as well as the significant contribution of the American and Romanian partners to the planning and deployment at the level of training in this sense.

Also, Anatolie Nosatîi thanked the US Government and the leadership of the National Guard of North Carolina for the assistance provided, over the years, to the National Army in terms of equipment and military technique, expertise, training, but also in other areas.

Other topics addressed during the meeting with North Carolina state officials concerned the priorities of the defense institution, the European integration process of our country, as well as the regional security situation.

For his part, Major General Hunt appreciated the considerable achievements registered within the partnership between the National Army and the National Guard of North Carolina, established in 1996, including in the joint training chapter, and the measures taken by the leadership of the Republic of Moldova and the Ministry of Defense in the context strengthening the country’s defense capabilities.

At the same time, the American official expressed his confidence that such joint training activities will continue for the benefit of increasing the training level of the partner armies.

Later, the Minister of Defense, together with US officials, the leadership of the National Army, Ambassador Kent D. Logston and Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, as well as the corps of attachés, watched the demonstrative actions of the military at the training sites established according to the scenario of the “Fire Shield/ Rapid Trident 2023”.

CHISINAU, September 21, 2023 — Today, at the Training Center of the National Army, the Day of Distinguished Visitors took place, organized as part of the final phase of the multinational exercise “Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023”.

The Minister of Defense, Anatolie Nosatîi, the commander of the National Army, Brigadier General Eduard Ohladciuc, the secretary of the Department of Public Safety of the State of North Carolina, United States of America (USA), Eddie M. Buffaloe, the commander of the National Guard of the state were present at the military range. North Carolina, Major General Marvin T. Hunt. Likewise, the US ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Kent Logsdon, and the Romanian ambassador to Chisinau, Cristian-Leon Țurcanu, participated in the activity.

The event included an information briefing, actions of the troops involved, as well as the firing of infantry and artillery weapons, such as the M-30 howitzer, the D-20 howitzer gun.

It should be noted that the combined exercise “Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023” takes place between September 10-22 and aims to improve the skills of the participating subunits and increase the level of interoperability between the armies of the partner countries in a multinational framework.

“Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023” is part of the National Army Training Plan for the current year.

At the same time, we inform the citizens that, in the context of the completion of the “Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023” exercise, the military equipment is to return from the training centers to the places of permanent deployment.

The agenda of the discussions focused on the cooperation of the Republic of Moldova with the USA, but also on the achievements within the partnership with the National Guard of North Carolina, established over time.

At the same time, during the dialogue, the reform of the defense sector, the programs and initiatives implemented with the help of the USA and their role in the process of modernization of the National Army according to international standards were addressed.

In this context, Brigadier General Ohladciuc mentioned that the partnership between the National Army and the National Guard of North Carolina contributes significantly to the reform of the defense institution, making us interoperable with the militaries of other states within the KFOR and UNIFIL peacekeeping missions, such as and international exercises. Another aspect of the discussions referred to the need to develop the corps of soldiers and sergeants for the National Army.

Also, the commander of the National Army appreciated the constant support given by the USA to the development of the army through assistance programs in the field of training, medicine, logistics, participation in joint exercises and training, as well as through humanitarian projects carried out in the Republic of Moldova.

For his part, the commander of the North Carolina National Guard, Major General Marvin T. Hunt, reiterated that the US National Guard will continue to support the National Army in the process of modernization and development of operational capabilities, as it has done since — over the years, in the context of the strategic partnership.

While in our country, the American delegation will participate in the Distinguished Visitors Day in the framework of the combined multinational exercise “Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023”.

Anatolie Nosatîi congratulated the military diplomat on the occasion of his recent appointment to the position, expressing his confidence that his experience will contribute to boosting bilateral cooperation relations in the defense dimension.

During the dialogue, the parties discussed the regional security situation and the crises generated by the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the current state of collaboration between the National Army and the Canadian defense establishment, but also the prospects for the development of the partnership, started in 1996.

The Minister Nosatîi thanked the Canadian government for the donation of equipment intended for the National Army soldiers, which was very useful to them over the years, in the execution of demining missions throughout the country.

The official also appreciated the support of our country’s aspirations within international organizations.

Anatolie Nosatîi also referred to the needs and actions taken to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Republic of Moldova in the current security context, specifying that Canada’s experience is very important in this regard.

For his part, Lieutenant Colonel Lussier mentioned that he will make efforts to expand cooperation in the field of defense, including the training of the National Army.

The agenda of the discussions included topics regarding the evolution of the regional security situation, the objective of modernizing the National Army, including with the support of external partners, bilateral cooperation on the defense dimension, the assistance offered by the Italian side in several fields, but also the prospects for intensifying the partnership .

In this way, Minister Nosatîi thanked the Italian Government for the support offered to the Republic of Moldova in achieving the objective of modernizing the National Army within the Defense Capabilities Development Initiative (DCBI).

Anatolie Nosatîi also appreciated the contribution of the Italian side to the deployment of Moldovan military contingents in the peacekeeping operations of KFOR in Kosovo and UNIFIL in Lebanon, respectively.

The officials also referred to the support from Italy within the European Union, in the context of the implementation of the European Peace Facility (EPF) projects. “By joining the EPF, the Republic of Moldova will strengthen its defense capabilities, thus becoming stronger and more resilient to current security challenges,” said the defense minister during the meeting.

At the end of the discussions, the officials agreed on expanding and strengthening cooperation in the field of defense, by identifying new areas of collaboration and carrying out joint activities, for the benefit of the modernization objective.

CHISINAU, September 14, 2023 — The cooperation of the Republic of Moldova with the North Atlantic Alliance on the defense dimension was one of the topics addressed during the meeting of the Secretary of State Valeriu Mija and the commander of the National Army, Brigadier General Eduard Ohladciuc, with the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoană, on an official visit to the Republic of Moldova.

Thus, the officials referred to the joint assistance projects aimed at the modernization of the National Army carried out by NATO over time, including within the Defense Capacity Building Initiative (DCBI), to which our country joined in 2014.

In this sense, Valeriu Mija mentioned that the DCB Support Initiative remains a priority and a vital tool in the context of the Republic of Moldova-NATO Partnership.

The official thanked the member countries and allies for their support in approving, this February, an increased assistance package, which provides for the intensification of cooperation in order to strengthen national resilience against new challenges and combat hybrid threats.

During the dialogue, the parties also addressed the security situation in the region and the effects generated by the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the strategic aspirations of the Ministry of Defense, as well as the actions undertaken in the context of the reform of the defense sector, including with the support of external partners and international organizations.

For his part, Mircea Geoană appreciated the contribution of the National Army to the efforts to maintain peace and stability worldwide by deploying the Moldovan military in international operations, such as KFOR in Kosovo.

At the same time, the official mentioned that the Alliance will continue to support our country during the modernization of its defense capabilities, especially in the current security context.

It should be noted that the Deputy General Secretary of NATO is visiting the Republic of Moldova between September 13-15. The official’s agenda includes meetings with President Maia Sandu, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, President of the Parliament, Igor Grosu and Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

During the dialogue, the officials discussed the bilateral cooperation in the military segment, the reform of the defense sector, the prospects for expanding the Moldovan-Slovak defense partnership, as well as the evolution of regional security.

Valeriu Mija thanked, in this way, the Slovak side for the financial contribution offered within the Trust Fund, for facilitating the participation of the National Army soldiers in the activities carried out in the context of the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU ), including in the EU mission in Mali.

At the same time, the official spoke about the main objectives of the modernization of the National Army, the progress made in this regard, the stage of implementation of the long-term National Army Military Capabilities Development Plan (2020-2030), but also the contribution of the Republic of Moldova to maintaining peace and stability world through the participation of the Moldovan military in international operations.

Valeriu Mija congratulated the new attaché colonel Ivo Fedorko on the occasion of his appointment and wished him success in exercising his mandate.

In the end, the parties agreed on boosting collaborative relations in support of the desired modernization of the National Army, in accordance with Western standards.

During the exercise, the contingents of Moldovan, Romanian and American soldiers will perform combat firing from infantry weapons and artillery systems, day and night, with the involvement of the technical units of the National Army.

The Ministry of Defense repeatedly informs the population that during the exercise, there will be movements of military equipment units on routes in the country.

We note that all the necessary safety measures during training, which will also take place on national roads, will be respected without disrupting public activity.

We recommend citizens to respect the conditions of access near the training centers of the National Army during the exercises and to be vigilant to avoid the spread of false information to prevent disinformation.

“Fire Shield/Rapid Trident 2023” takes place until September 22, 2023, with the participation of about 500 soldiers.

Their aim is to increase the interoperability between the participating contingents and the level of training for peacekeeping operations.